Smartphone oldies iPhone 5 (right) and 5c
Photo: Matthias Kremp
For users of older smartphones, it's time for a hardware upgrade if they want to continue using WhatsApp.
At least that's what reports suggest that the chat app will no longer work on many older models from the turn of the year.
The app will be discontinued on December 31 on almost 50 mobile phones, some of which were once very popular and some of which were completely unknown in this country.
A message from the tech blog »Gizchina« can be identified as the origin of the various reports, the title of which reads: »Whatsapp will no longer run on these smartphones«.
A blog post by WhatsApp, which lists the operating systems currently supported by the app, is cited as the source.
The app cannot be installed or a phone number registered on smartphones that do not meet these minimum requirements, which is a prerequisite for being able to use WhatsApp.
What works should continue to work
This, however, is not supported by the statement of »Gizchina«.
First of all, the WhatsApp blog post in question is a few months old, although it is pointed out that it is regularly updated. It was reported back in October that WhatsApp on iPhones now requires at least iOS 12.
The app can no longer be installed on Apple cell phones of the 5 series that came onto the market ten years ago (here is our test report).
Secondly, if it is already installed on such an oldie smartphone and the account is registered, it should continue to work.
It just doesn't receive any more updates, and therefore no new functions that will be available to other users.
The same applies to old Android smartphones.
According to the WhatsApp blog, Android 4.1 – released in the summer of 2012 as “Android Jelly Bean” – is the minimum requirement for installing WhatsApp on such devices and registering a phone number.
And if you own one of the few phones running the Firefox-based operating system KaiOS, you should have at least KaiOS 2.5 installed in order to be able to install WhatsApp.
»WhatsApp does not publish lists«
It is completely unclear how the list of 49 smartphone models that "Gizchina" names as those who allegedly "will no longer be able to use WhatsApp" came about.
In addition to the iPhone models 5 and 5c, it includes several devices from Huawei's Ascend series, Samsung's Galaxy S2 and S3 mini and the HTC Desire 500.
In response to a SPIEGEL inquiry on the subject, a WhatsApp spokesman said "that WhatsApp does not publish any lists of devices that are supported, only operating systems."
more on the subject
Sustainability of smartphones: if you do your own work, you work for the environment. A Netzwelt newsletter by Matthias Kremp
Regardless of whether WhatsApp is still running on a ten-year-old smartphone or not, it might be a good idea to replace such a device with a newer one.
Devices for which there are no more updates are often exposed to dangers from the Internet without protection because security gaps in the operating system can no longer be patched.
In terms of sustainability, it is good to use smartphones for as long as possible.
But only as long as they do not pose a security risk.